Addis Ababa, 7 December 2019: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, received the European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen,at the African Union Headquarters today, during her first visit since taking office.

Chairperson Faki was accompanied by Commissioner of Peace and Security, Amb. Smail Chergui, Commissioner of Trade and Industry, Amb. Albert Muchanga, Commissioner of Political Affairs, Mme Minata Cessouma Samate, and Commissioner of Human Resource, Science and Technology, Dr Sarah Anyang Agbor. EC President Von Der Leyen was accompanied by EU Commissioner of International Partnerships, Ms. Jutta Urpilainen and other senior EC officials.

Chairperson Faki assured the EC President of the AU Commission’s support to her mandate, and expressed his appreciation for her visit to the AUC HQ, during her first visit outside of Europe since taking office, noting that it illustrated the importance of the Continent to Continent strategic AU EU partnership

The meeting discussed strategies to counter terrorism; address climate change and its effects; and effectively mobilize investment and expand trade between Africa and Europe. The two leaders underscored the importance of charting the next chapter of the partnership jointly, while maintaining open dialogue channels between the AU and EU.

The two Principals agreed that, in preparation for the next EU-AU Summit in 2020, a Commission-to-Commission meeting will be held in Addis Ababa in February 2020, followed by an AU-EU Ministerial Meeting. The meetings will evaluate progress on commitments made during the 2017 AU EU Summit held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and focus on shared priorities in the areas including peace and security, trade and investment, climate, and joint promotion of multilateralism as well as institutional building.

For more information contact Spokesperson Ebba Kalondo KalondoE@africa-union.org